Mary Kay goes to the top of the Matterhorn, Switzerland!

On June 26th at 11.30am, Grisha and I stood on top of the beautiful Matterhorn, in Zermatt, Switzerland! 4478m/14,692ft. The Matterhorn is the most recognizable and dramatic mountain in the Swiss Alps and is on the border of Switzerland and Italy. Its near perfect pyramidal structure with its four steep faces, face the four compass points. Our starting point was from the Schwarzsee at 8500ft, as the Hornli refuge was being renovated for the upcoming 150th anniversary, of the Matterhorn's first ascent. Our route was via the classic 'Hornli' Ridge on very steep and exposed alpine climbing terrain. We climbed through the night gaining 6000ft of elevation, before finally reaching the 14,692 summit on a beautiful, but chilly morning! The climb was not without its share of difficulties, as we faced quite tough snow conditions above the Solvay hut, which slowed our ascent and descent dramatically on this upper section. However, with only six climbers on the entire mountain, we really felt like the early explorers of the day! After a very long descent retracing our steep route, we happily arrived back at the Schwarzsee to a well earned dinner and rest! For great guiding on the Matterhorn, check out: www.worldwidemountainguide.com